Using Tables from Word

If a table already exists in Word, you can copy it into PowerPoint. PowerPoint will convert the Word table to a PowerPoint table. From that point on, it is a part of the presentation, and maintains no relationship to Word. You can edit its text directly in PowerPoint.

To paste a table from Word to PowerPoint, copy it to the Clipboard (Ctrl+C) in Word, and then paste it onto a slide in PowerPoint (Ctrl+V). The resulting table appears in the center of the slide.

Note 

You might need to increase the font size; Word's default size for body text is great for printed documents, but too small for most PowerPoint slides.

A pasted Word table is placed into a content placeholder on the slide if an appropriate one is available. Here are the basic rules for what goes on:

• If the slide has an appropriate content placeholder that is empty, the table is placed into it but retains its own size and shape.

• If the slide does not have a usable content placeholder at all (for example, a Title Only slide), a placeholder is created for it. (You can tell the table is in a placeholder because when you change layouts, the table travels into the new layouts.)

• If the slide already has content placeholders, but they are not empty, the table is inserted as a free-floating object, unrelated to any placeholders.

Word's table feature is somewhat more robust than PowerPoint's. If you want to maintain all the Word capabilities in the table, paste the table as a Word object instead of doing a regular paste. Follow these steps:

1. Copy the table in Word (Ctrl+C).

2. In PowerPoint, display the slide on which the table should be pasted.

3. On the Home tab, open the Paste button's menu and click Paste Special. The Paste Special dialog box opens.

4. Click the Paste option button.

5. In the As list, choose Microsoft Office Word Document Object.

6. Click OK. The table appears as a free-floating object (not in any placeholder).

The resulting table is an embedded object, and not directly editable using PowerPoint's table feature. To edit the object, you must double-click it to open it in Word.

EXPERT TIP 

To maintain a dynamic link between the Word file and the PowerPoint presentation, choose Paste Link instead of Paste in step 4. However, be aware that if you move the Word file, an error will appear in PowerPoint when it cannot find the file referenced in the link. See Chapter 15 for more information about linking and embedding.